Superstar Mayors Have Summit In Chicago

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appear onstage together Monday; also on hand was Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. (CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) – Three of America’s mayoral superstars together on the same stage Monday night in Chicago to honor innovative educators.

Mayor Emanuel was joined by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York and Kasim Reed of Atlanta.

The best ideas arguably came from the 20 award winners honored at the “Chicago Ideas” event. Still, the mayors were the real draw, with Emanuel and Bloomberg often mentioned as possible future presidential candidates.

They shared a similar sentiment, that Washington just doesn’t get it.

“There’s too much focus on the next election and too much looking at the past to blame people, but too few profiles in courage to go and to make the real decisions that have payoffs down the road after you’re out of office,” Bloomberg said.

“Folks are suffering and they’re not getting it,” Reed said.

It was a bit strange to hear Mayor Emanuel, the consummate Washington insider, talking about Washington not getting what mayors had to go through to get the help they need.